Desert Tales
by Slayer87
Summary: 12 different people are chosen for a special contest to test a new hotel. When they arrive, weird things happen already; floating objects, even near death experiences. They must work together to solve the case of the murdered children of 15 years ago.
1. Chapter One

A/N: Hi, for those who are wondering, I'm taking a break on SDH. Not to make you all feel bad for me, but one reviewer really put me out of that story by a really nasty review. As much as I tried to not let it get to me, it really did and so I'm shelving it until I get back into that. For the time being, I'm still going to be working on Murderer Too Young. This story was an idea I got last weekend while driving. It started as a mystery that took place on a ski trip, then developed into this. I hope you enjoy this first part, as I wrote this all in two days. I think it has great potential and could be one of my greater stories. All depends on your reviews to keep it alive.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own anything except the plot. Joss owns all and always will.  
  
  
  
**Flashback  
  
1989, 10 miles out of Palm Springs**  
  
"Get to bed you two. It's going to be a big day tomorrow," their mother called from downstairs.  
  
"Nothing ever happens here. We're in the stupid desert for God's sake," Connor O'Riley mumbled at his mother's order. His twin sister, Dawn, giggled at his remark.  
  
"Right. Biggest thing to happen here is when it rains," she added. Connor grinned and walked over to his side of the room. That was another thing the teens constantly complained about. They both had to share a room in their small house.  
  
Both siblings automatically said goodnight as they got into their respective beds. Connor flipped the light switch off and settled into his soft mattress.  
  
"What was that noise?" Dawn asked him minutes later. Connor strained his ears and indeed heard something. It was the sound of his mother talking to her fiancée, Lindsey McDonald. Darla had been seeing Lindsey almost five years ago. Connor and Dawn didn't remember their real father. They were told he split when they were two.  
  
"It's just Lindsey and Mom talking on the porch," Connor told his sister. Dawn mumbled something that Connor didn't comprehend. He instead started thinking about the events of the next day.  
  
Lindsey was a lawyer in Los Angeles and he had told the O'Rileys that he was planning on buying a house in the city where they could all live. Connor and Dawn were ecstatic, having lived in the desert for many years. They were all going to drive to LA to look at a couple houses that Lindsey had picked out.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden coppery smell that had filled the room. The back of his mind told him something was wrong, but he tried to ignore it.  
  
"What the hell is that smell Dawn?" he asked. Instead of receiving an answer from her, he felt a hand push his head onto his pillow. He tried to cry out, but the feel of a knife slice over his throat filled him with an immense amount of pain. The knife found itself planted into his back to insure his death.  
  
His last thought before dying was of him hoping that Dawn didn't suffer as much as he did.  
  


**2004, Los Angeles**  
  
Lorne sat is his chair silently as he waited for everyone to arrive. He looked at his desk clock and mentally noted that everyone should have been here by now.  
  
"Mr. Green? The contestants are all here. Would you like me to send them in?" the voice of his secretary, Harmony Kendal, asked him over the intercom.  
  
"Fabulous Harmonica. Send them in," Lorne replied. He heard Harmony giggled at his nickname for her and the door opened.  
  
Twelve men and women slowly walked into the office, all seemed to think that they were about to be shot if they moved far enough. Lorne became ecstatic at the arrival of his contestants. They were all very young, save for an older man with graying brown hair and glasses. Six men and six women. Just the way he planned.  
  
"I cannot tell you all how tickled I am to see you all here. Wonderful," Lorne greeted once they all sat down in his hundred dollar chairs that sat around his board room table.  
  
"What, may I ask, is so bloody important that I had to leave in the middle of my tour for?" came the question of the young, British rockstar. Lorne grinned.  
  
"Ah, Mr. Crawford, Sweetcakes, good of you to make that wonderful sacrifice for my little deal," Lorne thanked the bleach-haired rockstar.  
  
"Sweetcakes?" the rockstar asked. Suddenly, a tough looking brunette spoke up.  
  
"Hey, aren't you Spike? The lead for the band Wrong Way?" she asked. The British man nodded. "Cool. At least we got a hot celebrity on board here."  
  
"He isn't hot. His hair is white. Can you say totally 80's?" another blond woman said while looking at Spike's hair with disgust.  
  
"Darlings, why don't we save the 'who's hot and who's not' conversation for later?" Lorne suggested.  
  
"Who are you?" a redheaded woman asked. Another brunette scoffed, her shoulder length hair shining.  
  
"How could you not know who he is? Lorne Green is the richest man in California. Not only is he a billionaire, but he owns and co-owns dozens of different businesses," she told the redhead.  
  
"No need to be too hard on Ms. Rosenberg, Ms. Chase. Not everyone knows who I am, although you are entirely correct on your little bio of me. But I think all of you want to know why I pulled you out of school, or your jobs, or in Spike's case, tour, for," Lorne said. Twelve heads nodded.  
  
"This better be worth my time. I'm missing out on a huge summer party down in Redondo," the blonde, Ms. Summers, said. Several people rolled their eyes at her.  
  
"I have invited you all here for a private contest. You have all been carefully chosen to take part in this. We've performed checks on you, not too personal, but on your records. Don't want any thieves," Lorne joked. No one laughed, so he cleared his throat.  
  
"A contest for what?" a dark haired man asked. He wore a business suit and a slight scowl.  
  
"For the last three years, I've had a hotel built in the desert, ten miles from Palm Springs. The Hyperion. It has become my pet project and I want to test her before opening day. That's where you twelve come in. Each of you will live in a room, all on one floor, of my new hotel for one week. Test it out. Order room service. Swim in my hundred yard pool. Enjoy yourselves how ever you want. At the end of the week, I want a report from each of you on your opinion of The Hyperion. In the end, no matter how you respond, I will reward you with $5,000 each." The whole table burst into chatter at Lorne's reward price.  
  
"Five grand?" the tough brunette asked. Lorne sat back in his chair and sipped his Seabreeze.  
  
"Yes Faith. Five grand." Everyone looked stunned.  
  
"Let's get this straight buddy. You want us to stay at your hotel for a week, for which we each get $5,000?" Contestant #4, Xander Harris, verified. Lorne nodded.  
  
"I need to know now if you are all in. If so, you will all be given three hours to head back home to gather any items you wish to bring with you," Lorne said. A shy woman raised her hand. "Yes, Ms. Maclay?"  
  
"N-Not that I want to turn this down, but I-I have five classes in the next seven days that I just can't miss," she said. They redhead, Ms. Rosenberg, agreed.  
  
"No worries Babydoll. It's been taken care of. All of your employers are aware of your absences and you will be excused and still paid. As for you students, your Deans have been notified and you will be excused from misses classes," Lorne replied. Several people smiled.  
  
"What about employers? I have a full law firm that could go haywire in my absence," the dark haired man asked. Lorne took another sip of his drink.  
  
"No need. You can run your business from the hotel. We have fax machines, dozens of computers with Internet access, and plenty of phones. I assure you Mr. O'Connor, Wolfram & Hart will be fine."  
  
"I think it's safe to say that I'm in," a dark man, Charles Gunn, said, raising his hand in the air. Lorne practically beamed.  
  
"Wonderful! Since we're all in, I would ask that you all look at these contracts and sign them. Also, lets introduce, shall we? Why don't we start with you Muffin?" he said, pointing to Ms. Summers.  
  
"Ok, I'm Buffy Summers. I live in Santa Monica and I love to shop." Everyone was silent, except for Lorne, who was clapping away.  
  
"I'm Spike Crawford. I'm a member of the band Wrong Way. I sing and play guitar. Oh, and if you all haven't noticed, I'm also British," Spike said, before sitting down and lighting a cigarette.  
  
"Hi everyone. I'm Willow Rosenberg. I'm a sophomore at USC and I like computers. I'm currently dating a bass player from Dingoes Ate My Baby and...that's about it," she said. Spike nodded.  
  
"So you're Oz's bird yeah? I know the bloke pretty well. Say hello for me a'right?" he told her. The next contestant stood up.  
  
"My name is Xander Harris. Uhm, I'm co-owner of Harris&McNally Construction down in Sunnydale. I like to make people laugh, but standup comedy just wasn't my calling. I hope to have a great time on this little adventure."  
  
"H-Hello. I'm Tara Maclay. I'm an art student at UC Davis. I have a cat, Miss Kitty Fantastico. I guess you'll find out that I'm pretty shy." Tara sat down and another women stood up.  
  
"Hi! I'm Winifred Burkle. Everyone calls me Fred though. I grew up in Texas, so please mind my accent. I came to LA to study at UCLA to become a physicist. I love science. All those molecules that existed for millennia that we didn't discover for millions of years. I'm also excited about this contest, I've never been in a contest in my whole entire life, so it's very exciting, well except for that one time in second grade where my teacher entered me in a little drawing to win a science kit-"  
  
"Thank you for that Cupcake. You're a doll n' a half. Who's next?" Lorne interrupted, and motioned for the chipper Texan to sit. The older man stood up next.  
  
"I'm Rupert Giles," he introduced. Spike chuckled.  
  
"Rupert," he teased. Giles cleared his throat and continued.  
  
"I'm a librarian at Sunnydale High School. I'm probably the oldest person here, but that doesn't mean that I'm old. Just wanted to clear that up. And stop laughing at me," he said to Spike, who was still grinning like an idiot at Giles.  
  
"Sorry Rupes," Spike apologized, before chuckling again. Giles sighed at sat down.  
  
"Yo, I'm Charles Gunn. I work at a martial arts center here in LA. I'm adventurous and fun to be around. I think we're all going to have some fun this week." He sat down and the owner of Wolfram & Hart stood up.  
  
"I'm Angel O'Connor. I live here in Los Angeles. I part-own Wolfram & Hart, which is one of the top running law firms in the world." He sat back down. Cordelia Chase looked at him in awe, but then realized it was her turn.  
  
"Hi, I'm Cordelia Chase. I am currently a designer for Gucci, which is almost my dream. I'm actually hoping to become a famous actress someday and _then_ start my own clothing line."  
  
The next person who stood up was the last man. He was probably the second oldest of all twelve contestants. In his late twenties, he cleared his throat and took off his glasses.  
  
"I'm Wesley Wyndahm-Pryce. I am from England, but you might have been able to figure that out. I have a small occult bookstore in Burbank," he said, accent very clear. Lorne gave him a skeptical look.  
  
"Occult? You believe in that stuff?" he asked. Wesley nodded.  
  
"Yes, I do actually." Lorne nodded once and motioned for the last contestant to stand. The tough brunette, Faith, stood up.  
  
"Yeah, I'm Faith Wilkins. Yes, I'm tougher than these other chicks here, I'm not a little girly girl who paints her nails. I own a small bar here in downtown LA. I like to dance, party, and I like guys. Anyone got any beef with me, I'd advise you to take it up with me, not behind my back." Everyone was quiet for a moment before Lorne stood up.  
  
"Okay then! Everyone, go home and get all packed up. If you all stop by and talk to my secretary, Harmony, she'll give you all directions to the hotel. Also, a pass you'll need to get past the front gate." Everyone nodded and started walking out, talking to each other excitedly. Lorne finished off his Seabreeze and walked to the window. Things were on track.  
  
  
  
That's the end of part one. Hope you all like, otherwise I'll just stop it before I put anymore time into it. It's all up to you! 


	2. Chapter Two

A/N: Ok, thanks to those who were kind enough to review. I was happy that people liked this story. Well, here's chapter two of Desert Tales. I'm going to make this my main focus right now, but don't worry all you Murderer Too Young fans, I'm working on chapter four as you read this.  
  
Also, people have been asking me about pairings. This will have only a few pairings, since the goal of the story is about the O'Riley kids. Most likely, X/A, B/S, W/T, and Wes/F.  
  
Disclaimer: I own my own plot. Joss Whedon owns all characters as well as quotes from the shows.  
  


'Wow!' was the first thought that came into the heads of all twelve contestants when they first saw the Hyperion. It looked like it came out of an old fashioned 20's movie. Surrounded by the dryness of the other buildings, it was easily the only building in Keyton that looked as though it didn't belong.  
  
It stood seven stories tall and at least a football field wide. The front gate stood in front of a concrete driveway that led them a hundred yards before reaching the front doors. A large fountain welcomed visitors and really did brighten up the already cheery landscape. Grass and plants were everywhere, landscaping the huge area around the building and causing the observer to forget that they were in the middle of the desert.  
  
"This place is amazing!" Willow said aloud when she stepped out of her car, almost forgetting to give the valet her keys. Tara and Fred were walking together admiring all the scenery.  
  
"I don't think amazing covers it," Xander said. Buffy, who was standing near him, sighed.  
  
"No, amazing falls short," she replied abruptly. The thick haired construction owner raised an eyebrow and sighed.  
  
"So what's your story? You seem to fall into the stereotypical California girl category," he told her. Buffy rolled her eyes.  
  
"No, I'm not. I've been trying to put that part of my life behind me now but sometimes it still slips out. My father raised me like any other spoiled rich girl. But I will be the first to admit it, I can be a humongous bitch sometimes." Xander smirked.  
  
"You don't say?" he asked, a twinge of humor in his voice.  
  
"So what are you going to do with your share?" Gunn asked the two, walking up to them with his hands in his pockets. Xander smiled.  
  
"My down payment on this house I wanna buy. I'm planning on moving in with my girlfriend. In fact, I can tell her the good news in a bit," he replied.  
  
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.  
  
"She's a secretary for this hotel. She got the job last week and when I found out the little gig, it was one of the reasons I hastily agreed. Well that and the cash. Her name's Anya. She works at the front desk," he told them.  
  
"Who here thinks that this is a little too easy?" Wesley asked the group. Faith frowned.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked. Wesley took off his glasses to clean them on his shirt.  
  
"I mean, don't you think five grand apiece is a little bit too much just for trying out a hotel? Seems odd to me," he told them.  
  
"Yeah, well I don't care how funny it looks. I need the money read bad and if the guy tries to kill us, I think I could hold my own in a fight," Faith said.  
  
"A man with the reputation and resources like Lorne Green doesn't need fists to kill us, and he certainly wouldn't try to kill us himself. He could have our food poisoned, send deadly gases through our air conditioning, have snipers shoot us in our rooms..." Wesley threw back. Faith clenched her jaw.  
  
"Besides, you all need to remember exactly who Lorne Green is. He's a billionaire. $60,000 is nothing to him. Maybe he's feeling charitable?" Cordelia said.  
  
"He's a business man. If the cost for us to tell him exactly what to do to make his hotel perfect is 60 grand, then he'll pay that price. Maybe he's not a giving kind of guy, but most likely he's just doing this because he'll benefit from it in the future," Angel told them. Cordelia was awestruck again.  
  
"You are so smart. Isn't he so smart?" she asked. They were interrupted by a limo pulling up to the entrance. The door opened and Lorne's secretary, Harmony, stepped onto the curb. She waved and walked up to where they were all standing.  
  
"Hi! Ok, Mr. Green wanted me to tell you guys that he's not going to make it. He had, like, a crisis with another client. Anyway, he asked me to come here and make sure things were taken care of," she said. "Ooh, I wish I was one of you guys. You're gonna have so much fun here!" she squealed.  
  
The group, all twelve, followed the cheery secretary into the front of the Hyperion. The lobby was huge and there didn't look like there was even a ceiling. Harmony walked over to the front desk, where a blonde woman was happily typing away at the computer. She looked up from her work and grinned at the other blonde secretary.  
  
"Harmony! It's so good to see you! I've been wondering when you'd come back. I'm tired of being one of the only girls here. Riley is too busy with Sam, who is a total skank anyway. Jonathan and Andrew are always watching old Star Trek movie. It's depressing," she told Harmony. Harmony cleared her throat and motioned Anya's gaze toward the contestants.  
  
"Anya, the group is here. Could you ring up Andrew to give the tour? Mr. Green isn't here to do it," Harmony told her. Anya saw Xander in the group and she dropped the phone she was holding to run over to her boyfriend. Xander hugged her and smiled.  
  
"Xander? What are you doing here? I didn't know you were going to be here. When did this happen?" she asked him.  
  
"Got the gig earlier today. I was going to call you but I figured I'd just surprise you." Anya seemed to think about something because her eyes went wide and she grinned.  
  
"Do you know what this means?" she asked. Xander smiled and gave her another hug.  
  
"Yes, we get to be together," he said. Anya laughed.  
  
"No Silly! It means you're going to win lots and lots of money!" she told him, smiling from ear to ear.  
  
"Oh. Yeah, I guess I will," Xander said. "Why don't you get back to work and I'll see you later." Anya nodded and went back to her desk. Harmony hung up the phone and smiled.  
  
"Ok guys, Andrew will be down in just a smidge. You all can check in with Anya while you wait," she told them. After everyone was checked into a room, a young blond haired man came out of the elevator. He was not happy about something, but when he saw the group, his mood brightened.  
  
"Hi everybody, I'm Andrew. I'll be your tour guide today. Any questions you might have, please save them until the end of the tour. Thank you and I hope you enjoy your stay here at the fabulous Hyperion," he greeted them. Anya walked over to him with a clipboard.  
  
"Nobody cares, you little monkey," she said. Andrew took the clipboard and looked it over. His eyes widened when he read something. He looked over at the gang and nearly fainted.  
  
"Spike Crawford here? Wow, our first celebrity guest. Wow, Mr. Spike. I love your work. All the songs you perform, I know them all by heart. I really do. Oh! Would you do me the honor of signing it for me? Please?!" He was practically clinging to Spike's black duster, then when he realized what he was touching, he let go of it like it was on fire. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to touch your coat."  
  
"Bloody hell! Calm down mate! Yeah, I'll sign your record, just don't have a bleedin' heart attack," Spikes told the excited fan. Andrew calmed down and looked back at the list.  
  
"Okay guys. We'll be touring the grounds, which include the pool area, the tennis courts, and the golf area. Then we'll come back in to see the two bars we have, the small casino, and the spa room," he told them. Cordelia and Buffy smiled.  
  
"Spa? Do we get that in the package?" Cordelia asked. Andrew looked at the clipboard and nodded.  
  
"Well, lets begin this exciting tour yes? Follow me everyone." The group followed Andrew through a door leading outside. Anya went back to work at her desk and Harmony left.  
  
No one noticed the teenage girl sitting at the bottom step, her long brown hair shining in the light.  
  
  
  
Chapter two, done! Chapter three, coming soon! 


	3. Chapter Three

**Flashback- 1989  
**  
Police lights lit up the area around the small house. Several people were standing outside of the police tape and observing the scene. In fact, most of the neighborhood was outside watching the scene before them. No one could believe that two teenagers were murdered a few ours ago. Nothing like this had ever happened before here. Especially not in Keyton.  
  
Detective Kate Lockley never had a case quite like this. And frankly, she never thought she would. She eyed the two stretchers with body bags that were being rolled to the coroner's van, before going back to listening to her partner.  
  
"It's a damn shame is what it is. We got a crying mother over there, two bodies, and no one else near the scene. Whoever did this, they're hiding pretty damn good. I'm sending out cars tonight to patrol the town, see if they see anyone new or suspicious," Detective Wilson said. Kate sighed and nodded.  
  
"Ok then. I'm going to go and ask a few more questions. I'll meet you back at the station," she replied. Detective Wilson nodded and went over to talk to a couple of police officers. Walking over to the porch of the home, Kate sat down next to the grief-stricken blonde woman.  
  
"Ms. O'Riley? I'm Detective Lockley. I was wondering if I can ask you a few more things?" Kate asked her. A handsome young man walked out of the house, a look of shock on his face, and sat down next to the crying woman.  
  
"Who did this?" the man asked. Kate sighed again.  
  
"We don't know anything at this point. As soon as we have any lead on the suspect, we will take action. We just need more information."  
  
"We told you everything about what happened. Darla and I were outside on these steps talking. She had just sent the kids to bed and about an hour later, I went up to ask Connor if he'd help me fix the TV, when I found them. That's all," the man said. Darla's hand went up to soothe him.  
  
"It's not your fault baby. You couldn't have helped them," she told him. Kate nodded.  
  
"She's right Mr. McDonald. Both Connor and Dawn were already dead for close to an hour," she told him. Lindsey inhaled deeply and put his head in his hands. Darla started to cry again.  
  
"Who would have done this to my darling babies? We don't have any enemies," she said. Lindsey rubbed her shoulders.  
  
"Ms. O'Riley? Is there an ex husband? Maybe with a grudge?" the detective asked. Darla shook her head.  
  
"No... no, he's in New York. He's been there ever since the divorce 14 years ago. He, he calls the kids on their birthday every year. He wouldn't do something like this," she replied.  
  
"Are you sure? He might. From what you said, he did have an anger issue," Lindsey asked her. Darla's head snapped around to look at him.  
  
"On me Lindsey. He never touched Dawn or Connor. He's not a murderer and he certainly would not murder his own children." The group was silent for a minute before Kate stood up.  
  
"Mr. McDonald, Ms. O'Riley, I'm going to have to ask you to come with me to the station. Just for a few more questions," Kate told them. The couple nodded and Lindsey helped Darla up onto her feet and they followed Detective Lockley to a police car.  
  
From the back of the crowd, smoke rose from a cigarette. The man holding it threw it on the ground and crushed it with his shoe. He smirked at the scene before walking away from the crowd. He got into his car and drove away.  
  
The small town of Keyton seemed to mourn the next morning when people read the front page of the paper.  
  
**Two Local Teens Murdered In Own Beds.  
**  


**Hyperion Hotel, Present day  
**  
"And here we come to our hotel pool. Built in a three week span, it's deep end is 30 feet deep and the whole pool is a grand 100-yeards long. There is a Jacuzzi on the side there that can hold up to 20 people..." Andrew said to the group. Everyone looked in awe at the gigantic pool that looked very inviting in the hot sun.  
  
"So, we have access to the pool and the Jacuzzi right?" Gunn asked. Andrew, not happy about being interrupted, nodded.  
  
"I'm getting in as soon as this tour is over," Faith said to Buffy, who agreed. Then to Andrew, "Does it have a heater for night use?"  
  
"Yes, the heater is located over on the panel next to the gate. There are also switches for pool lights, the lights in the trees, and for music. There is a CD player installed and there are speakers all around the deck," Andrew informed. He showed everyone each button on the panel.  
  
"Giving the tour?" Everyone turned around to see a man walk up to them. He was in his late twenties and still looked pretty fit. With him was a woman around the same age, her dark hair up in a ponytail.  
  
"Everyone, this is Riley and Sam Finn. Riley is the lifeguard here at the Hyperion and Sam is the event coordinator," Andrew introduced. The honey blonde lifeguard smiled at the group.  
  
"Well, so these are the testers? Did you tell them about the deaths?" Riley asked Andrew, who looked appalled at the question.  
  
"What deaths?" Fred asked. Sam Finn smacked her husband's arm and sighed.  
  
"See what you did Ri? If Mr. Green hears about this, it'll be your ass," she said. Riley shrugged and smiled.  
  
"Someone died here?" Willow asked. Sam shook her head.  
  
"Not here in the hotel, but on the land we're on now. About 15 years ago, two teens were murdered in their beds. The case was never solved. Anyways, that whole block was torn down and the hotel is now built over the land. Some people like Riley here think the hotel is haunted by the ghosts of the children. But it's not true," Sam explained.  
  
"Yes it is. I saw the girl last week when I was going up to the room," Riley told his wife. Sam rolled her eyes and sighed.  
  
"I hope we didn't scare you away now. But I can assure you, there are no ghosts, especially not in the Hyperion," she told the group.  
  
"How horrible. Who would do such a thing to two kids?" Fred asked aloud.  
  
"Well, I guess even boring towns like Keyton have a few interesting tales," Spike said. Wesley looked thoughtful for a second, as if believing in what Riley claimed.  
  
"Well, enough of that. How about we head over to the bar next?" Andrew told the group. Everyone agreed to that.  
  
"Hope you enjoy your stay here. I'm out here most of the time so anybody who feels like swimming, come on out here," Riley said. Everyone said goodbye to the Finns and followed Andrew.  
  
"Now why'd you have to go and say that for Riley? If Mr. Green finds out..." Sam scolded. Riley leaned down to give her a soft kiss.  
  
"It's just a story. You know, spook them up a bit," he replied. Sam, convinced that her husband wasn't going Loony Tunes, smiled and walked with him back up the sloped stairs to the hotel.  
  
A boy sat on one of the pool chairs and watched the group as Andrew showed them all the outside spa room. He scowled at something in his line of view. Then without warning, he vanished from the chair.  
  
Short, I know, but I wanted to get something out. Please people, review! I didn't get a single review for chapter 2. I'm having a good time writing this story but I'm not going to bother if no one takes the time to tell me if I'm doing a good job or not. Every time I get a review, it makes my day. Really, it does. Make my day people! 


	4. Chapter Four

Here's chapter 4. Hope some of you like it enough to REVIEW!!  
  
  
  
The tour came to an end and everyone was back in the lobby. Anya still sat at her desk but was no longer working, only looking over at Xander.  
  
"Well, that's the end of the official Hyperion Hotel tour. If anyone needs any more history, I will be more than happy to assist," Andrew told them.  
  
"What about the ghosts?" Faith asked him. Andrew looked nervous and tried to look like he didn't hear her. "Listen tour guide, you said you'd answer any questions we had and I wanna know about the ghosts."  
  
"There are no ghosts here at the Hyperion," a voice said. Everyone turned to the front doors and saw Lorne Green standing at the top of the steps, a fake grin on his face. Andrew took that opportunity to head over to the front desk and away from Faith and her questions.  
  
"But Mr. Finn said he saw one," Buffy pointed out. Lorne chuckled and waved that thought away with his hand.  
  
"Nonsense. Mr. Finn likes to play jokes on people. But I assure you, Mr. Finn saw no ghost. I don't know who but this silly idea in your heads, but that's exactly what it is. Silly. Now, why don't you all gather your luggage and head up to your rooms. I can get Jonathan to help anyone who needs it," he said. "So what do you think? Is she a beauty or what?"  
  
Wesley, seeming to attack Lorne's comment with some sarcasm of his own said, "Yes, it's a wonderful hotel. Especially since there are no ghosts."  
  
Lorne gazed over at the British man. Wesley picked up his suitcases and walked toward the elevators. Before getting inside one, he turned around. "I'm curious as to why Andrew was so afraid to answer Faith's question? Was it fear from letting something slip?" He walked into the elevator, disappearing from view when it closed. Everyone looked over at Lorne for a response.  
  
Lorne just sighed and shook his head. He walked down the two steps and onto the main floor. The eleven other contestants saw this as a change to just leave Mr. Green be. He obviously wanted to not add to Wesley's comments. Did that mean the story was not true? The only way to know for sure was if they came face to face with the ghosts themselves. Until then, they had every reason to believe the ghosts of the O'Riley teens were just stories.  
  
"I'm going to go unpack now," Fred said aloud, gathering her luggage and trotting up the carpeted stairs. Willow and Tara came up after her, each with their own share of luggage to carry.  
  
"Yeah, the sooner I unpack, the sooner I can get into that pool," Buffy said. Faith nodded.  
  
"Got that right girlfriend," she quipped. Spike gathered his bags and walked up to Buffy.  
  
"Want some help?" he asked her. Buffy smiled softly at the bleached guitarist and nodded.  
  
"Yes, thank you for offering." The two of them went over to the elevators and immediately started talking. Giles, who had remained almost silent and observant, followed the two blondes.  
  
Cordelia looked over at Angel and smirked. She picked up her suitcase and pretended to strain. "Oh man, I think I just pulled a muscle. Hey Angel, can you give me a hand?"  
  
Angel looked over at the tall brunette and nodded. He picked up her suitcase with ease and smiled. "Too heavy for you?" he asked. Cordelia nodded.  
  
"Just a little," she replied.  
  
"Then let me help you with this stuff," he offered. Cordelia nodded and the two of them walked over to the elevator. Gunn and Xander were talking about a recent action movie they had both seen as the followed Cordelia and Angel.  
  
Faith, the only one left standing in the middle of the lobby, looked over at Lorne. He was quietly walking to someone on his cell. Sighing, she picked up her bags and walked to the elevator.  
  
She had felt the same way as Wesley. Something was up, and Mr. Green didn't want them snooping into it. She had a feeling the British bookstore owner would start looking into it as soon as he was unpacked.  
  
And she had the strongest desire to help him.  
  
  
  
The second floor was occupied by Faith, Cordelia, and Xander. Angel, Tara, and Willow had the whole third floor. Wesley, Buffy, and Fred had the fourth floor, and the fifth floor was used by Gunn, Giles, and Spike. All the currently working employees filled the sixth and final floor.  
  
Faith took the elevator up to the fourth floor. She rushed while unpacking so she could get here quickly. When she got to room 416, she knocked loudly and waited.  
  
Wesley opened the door and was shocked to find Faith there. "Faith? What are-"  
  
"Can I come in?" she asked. Wesley looked out into the hallway before finally ushering her inside.  
  
The first thing that Faith noticed when she walked in were the books. There was at least a dozen, maybe more, books scattered near or on the desk. Wesley closed the door and cleared his throat.  
  
"Not that I mind, but why are you here?" he asked her. Faith sat at the desk chair and looked over at the books. She was right, he was looking into the ghosts already.  
  
"I think you're right and I wanna help you," she said. Wesley looked at her and sat down on his bed. "What you said down there to Lorne, I agree with it."  
  
"Do you?" he asked. "What makes so sure I'm right? Just because I specialize in this kind of activity, does not mean that the ghosts rumored here are actually here."  
  
"Then why are you so keen on researching this? Only been half and hour since we all came up to our rooms. Seem pretty eager," she replied. Wesley let out a smile.  
  
"I guess it's my turn to ask you what caused you to come up here and tell me all this?"  
  
"The look Andrew gave me when I asked him about it, Riley's sighting, his chick's anger when he told us, Lorne's attitude at your comment. Should I go on?" she told him. Wesley thought about something.  
  
"You don't seem like the type of person who would believe in this type of thing. An owner of a bar you say, but I don't know many colleagues that own bars," he told her. Faith shrugged.  
  
"I believe. I mean, it's not totally odd, ghosts and stuff. But if you told me that a scaly green dragon is going to fly across the sky tonight, I would laugh at you. Monsters are something that I think were invented to scare little kids at bedtime. But I've had my own run in with a ghost as a kid, so I believe in that." Wesley looked interested.  
  
"Really? What happened?" he asked her. Faith traced the design on the chair with her finger.  
  
"I was ten and I remember visiting my dad's house one weekend. Anyway, I was watching TV and it kept on shutting off. On it's own. I even had the remote. Then I go to tell my dad but before I do, I see my glass of coke floating in thin air. About had a heart attack but after that I tried to convince myself it must've been a dream. Though I know it wasn't," Faith told him.  
  
Wesley watched her expression as she spoke. He could tell she still had a small amount of fear from this memory and knew that the only way to erase that fear would be if she came across another ghost. She was in between believing and imagining.  
  
"Ok then. But I don't think now is the right time. As much as I'm determined to solve this, I will not waste my whole week here in my room. We can start tonight," he said. He walked over to his window and looked out it. Most of the others were already outside by the pool.  
  
Faith opened her mouth to say something but her eyes widened instead. "What's wrong?" he asked.  
  
"I think someone else wants us to start now," she said.  
  
Wesley was about to ask her what she meant but Faith pointed behind him. He spun around and saw one of his markers float up slowly. They both watched in stunned silence as the cap fell off and the marker touched the wall. Slowly, it started to write something. The two watched-- Wesley with fascination, Faith with near panic. As soon as it wrote two words, it dropped to the floor.  
  
Faith stared at the words and reached out to touch them, not quite believe they were actually there.  
  
**FIND HIM**  
  


Cordelia watched as Angel dove off the high dive and into the pool. She was busy trying to get a nice tan to actually slip into the pool and use her Cordelia patented charm. But that didn't stop her from trying to use her eye to eye charm.  
  
Fred and Willow were both swimming laps in the pool, racing each other. Gunn, Xander, and Anya, who was on one her breaks, were seated at an umbrella table all talking.  
  
"So, what do you think?" Cordy asked aloud to both Buffy and Tara, who were sitting on the pool chairs with her.  
  
"About what?" Tara asked. She was sitting on one of the chairs with a book in her hands. Buffy, like Cordelia, was busy between getting a tan and checking out some eye candy. In this case, hers happened to be Spike.  
  
"Duh, hello! Angel. Who did you think?" Cordy shot back at the shy woman. Buffy lowered her sunglasses to look over at Cordelia.  
  
"Take a chill, she didn't know who you were talking about. Not everyone thinks Angel is a godly figure," she told her. Cordelia sighed.  
  
"I mean look at him," she said. "With those killer abs, broad shoulders, tight muscles...."  
  
"Down girl. I guess he's alright. But if you don't mind, I'm going to enjoy my stay here and not have to deal with a guy. Gets too complicated," Buffy said. Cordelia gave her a knowing glance.  
  
"Of course. That's why you were just looking at Spike like you were imagining him without any clothes on?" she said. Buffy's eyes widened and she shushed the brunette.  
  
"Shhhh! He'll hear you!" she whispered. "And I was not looking at him like that," she said. Cordelia remained silent but kept that glint in her eye. Buffy scoffed and put her towel over her head in an attempt to hide.  
  
"It's ok Buffy. No shame in looking right?" Tara told her. Buffy took the towel off of her head and smiled.  
  
"Yeah, you're right Tara. Hey, you must think someone here is drool-worthy right?" she asked the other brown-haired woman. Tara looked over to Willow, who was busy laughing at something Fred had said. Then as soon as she had looked, she turned away.  
  
"No, not really," she said. Cordelia and Buffy looked at each other and rolled their eyes.  
  
"Ok, have fun in Denialville. Feel free to join us here in Heartthrob City anytime," Buffy said. Tara smirked at the comment but secretly didn't think Heartthrob City was a place she'd enter.  
  
"Well, how 'bout you lovely ladies join us in the pool now? Enough tanning and take a dip in the water. Promise we won't splash," Spike said to the three. He was leaning against the side of the pool, water dripping down his face, hair slightly spiked from the water and blue eyes sparkling. The sight had Buffy throwing her towel down and diving into the pool.  
  
"Is it really cold?" Cordelia asked. Spike shook his head.  
  
"Not really. Come on, luv, step on in," he told her. Cordelia was about to shake her head when she saw Angel wave her over. Like lightning, she was in the pool as well. Tara laughed at them.  
  
"Hey, anything happen while I was still in the hotel did it?" Tara looked over to see Faith standing next to her. She didn't have a bathing suit on, which seemed odd to Tara because she remembered Faith enthusiastic about swimming.  
  
"No, n-nothing really. Mostly everyone is out here. I think only Mr. Giles and Mr. Wyndahm-Pryce are still inside," she told the brunette. Faith nodded.  
  
"Anything...weird happen?" she asked Tara. Tara frowned.  
  
"Um...no, not really. The only weird thing is how powerful the spell that Spike and Angel have on Buffy and Cordelia. But maybe that's not so weird," she replied. Faith nodded.  
  
"Yeah," she said, mostly to herself.  
  
"How come you're not going swimming? Thought you wanted to?" Tara asked. Faith looked around at everyone.  
  
"Huh?" she asked her, not paying attention.  
  
"You, not swimming," Tara repeated. Faith shook her head.  
  
"Oh, kinda don't feel much like it now. But hey, let me know if something weird happens alright?"  
  
"O-ok. Sure thing," Tara said. Faith took one last look at everyone before walking up the steps back to the hotel building.  
  
"Hey," Willow said to Tara as she and Fred both sat down on Buffy and Cordelia's chairs. "Where's she going? I thought she wanted to swim."  
  
Tara shrugged. Fred looked over at the others and sighed.  
  
"I don't know about you two but I don't want to spend all my week swimming. What do you all feel like doing tomorrow?" she asked. Willow shrugged.  
  
"I dunno. Hey, maybe we can check out the town?" she suggested.  
  
"Looks small," Tara said. Fred agreed. The three heard someone open the pool gate and saw Sam Finn walk into the pool area, smile on her face.  
  
"Good to see the pool in good use," she told the girls. "Nice huh?"  
  
"Yeah, beautiful. Where's Riley?" Fred asked. Sam sat down on a chair next to them and smiled.  
  
"No clue. That man is always off doing something. Could be shooting a few baskets. He likes basketball," she replied.  
  
"So what's Keyton like? Any fun?" Willow asked her. Sam chuckled.  
  
"Very boring actually. The hotel most interesting thing in this town since the dea-" Sam caught herself and tried to change the subject. "You guys should really head down to the casino. Very exciting."  
  
"Since what?" Fred asked. Willow and Tara looked on eagerly, although Willow knew what she was going to say.  
  
"Nothing. It's not important. But hey, I better be going. Riley wanted me to help him with the new golf equipment. See you all later." The three women watched as the skinny brunette scurried away.  
  
"That was interesting. That's the third time someone has avoided talking about the deaths," Willow said.  
  
"Do you think the story is true then?" Tara asked. Willow shrugged.  
  
"Must be. I mean, Wesley didn't seem to be too convinced of what Lorne said. I mean, isn't he an _occult_ bookstore owner?" Fred said.  
  
"Well if there is a ghost, I think it'll be more interesting staying here. How cool to have two resident ghosts living with us all here?" Willow said.  
  
"But what if they're dangerous? I mean, they did die horrible deaths," Tara asked.  
  
"Then we better figure out how to get them to calm down for a week," Fred said.  
  
Theres that. I plan on getting into other character's personalities soon. Don't worry, every contestant will be explored. And as far as them all getting together and figuring out who the killer is, that's going to be way later. I wanna flesh out the story, possibly into as many as 15 chapters. Anyways, please REVIEW. I haven't had a review for that last two chapters and it's making me feel horribly depressed. 


	5. Chapter Five

A/N: Well, I just have to give a HUGE shout out to everyone who has reviewed so far. Thanks a bunch!!  
  
I sat down today and really planned out the next 5 chapters. Believe me when I say it's gonna get better and by next chapter I should have some of the 'ships established.  
  
Also, Murderer Too Young fans, don't worry, the next part is coming!  
  
  
  
The end of day one came faster than anyone realized and soon it was time to eat. Earlier in the tour, Andrew showed them all the hotel restaurant. Named Caritas, the dimly lit place looked more like a small club than a restaurant. It even had a stage and a karaoke machine.  
  
Caritas served all kinds of foods for its guests. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were always available. And the prices were very reasonable. Although, the twelve contestants didn't have to pay for any of their meals, it was still nice to know.  
  
Giles poke his head from the entrance. No one was present, so he quietly walked in. Unlike everyone else, Giles felt completely out of place here. Amongst all the youth, he felt not only terribly old, but also felt like his father when he was all their age. Late-forties, graying hair, and no idea what they were saying half the time. Even for a high school librarian, who heard tons of teenage gossip daily, he was completely out of the loop.  
  
Truth was, he was only here like the rest of them. The nice amount of money was the trick that pulled him into the deal. He may be old, but he wasn't stupid.  
  
He sat down at a small booth in the back, the farthest he could get from that dreaded song machine, and looked down at his menu.  
  
"What'll it be sir?" the young busboy asked him. Giles glanced over the menu and quickly decided.  
  
"Lasagna. Add a side of breadsticks and clam chowder," he told the man.  
  
"Would you like wine with that sir?"  
  
Giles was about to reply 'yes' but he heard voices approaching the entrance. He watched as the entire rest of the group walked into Caritas, everyone talking away. Giles looked at the menu again, looking for what he wanted.  
  
"Actually, I think a brandy is in order here," he said. The busboy nodded and whisked back to the kitchen. Willow, being the first one to see him, smiled.  
  
"Giles, why are you here all by yourself?" she asked cheerfully. "Come and sit over here with the rest of us. That little booth can't fit twelve."  
  
Giles put on a good face and walked over the three put-together tables that now made one big one.  
  
"So, who else is as starved as me?" Gunn asked, already trying to decide between the fried chicken plate and the large mushroom and pepperoni pizza.  
  
"I hear you man, I could eat a horse," Xander agreed.  
  
"Oh, look! Karaoke machine!" Willow said, excitedly pointing to the stage.  
  
"Oh no. No way I'm singing," Faith said, placing her menu down. "Something crazy could happen." That last part was said as she looked over at Wesley, who was seated across from her.  
  
But Wesley was looking somewhere else.  
  
He quietly watched as Fred was pointing something out on the menu to Tara. The two women giggled and Wesley automatically smiled as Fred did so. Faith was couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealously race through her, but she shook it off and concentrated on her order.  
  
"So, anyone run into a ghost today?" Xander asked, laughing. Faith and Wesley looked up at each other and gave knowing glances.  
  
"Would you please stop talking about ghosts already? I'm tired of this little story that was made up, but seems to be the topic of conversation every five minutes," Cordelia said, annoyed. Xander raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
"My bad," he replied. Cordelia went back to her menu.  
  
"So, Angel, have you decided what to order?" she asked. Angel looked over to Cordy.  
  
"I think I'm going with a hamburger tonight," he replied. Cordelia seemed to think that over and nodded.  
  
"Excellent choice."  
  
"Anyone been in the bar yet?" Spike asked. "Wanna know the prices of the whiskey."  
  
"I'm planning on being there tonight," Faith said. "I could mix the drinks if you want?"  
  
"Sounds like a party," Gunn said. "Could use a drink too."  
  
They were interrupted by the busboy coming back and getting drink and food orders. Once he left, everyone got quiet.  
  
"So, who's gonna do it?" Willow asked. All twelve heads looked around at one another, waiting to see who would volunteer first.  
  
"I say the rockstar does it. At least we all know he sings," Gunn said. Spike shook his head no.  
  
"Not tonight mate. At least, not until I've had a few strong ones. I may be a singer, but I'm not singing sober in front of all you," Spike said.  
  
"I'll go, but not without a partner. I don't do well solo," Xander said.  
  
"Same here. No way am I getting up there alone," Buffy agreed. Willow got out of her seat and walked up to the stage.  
  
"Wonder what songs it's got?" she asked aloud. Scanning through the book next to the machine, she smiled at least a few times. "This has the biggest selection I've ever seen. There have got to be thousands and thousands of songs here. Old and new."  
  
"Lemme see that," Cordelia said, walking over to the redhead and glancing at a page. "Ooh! I love this song,"  
  
"Well, I say we all go tonight. Names drawn out of a hat to see who goes next. C'mon, I'll be fun," Fred said, excitedly bouncing in her seat. Wesley smiled at her.  
  
"Sounds like a great idea," he told her. Fred blushed under his watch and smiled.  
  
Caritas's doors opened and Lorne strolled on through, big grin plastered on his face at the sight of everyone in his little restaurant.  
  
"Well, well. See you all found Caritas with no problem," he said happily. "And the karaoke machine. I was hoping someone here would put on a little show tonight. How 'bout you muffin?" he asked Fred.  
  
The little Texan girl blushed again and shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"Aw, don't be shy kitten. I've seen plenty of people shy about singing, but once they're up there, you can't get them to shut up!" Lorne told her. That got Fred to become a little braver and she nodded.  
  
"So, who's crooning their hearts out first?" Lorne asked. Cordelia raised her hand. "Wonderful. Need any help with a song?"  
  
"Nope. I know exactly what I'm gonna do," she replied. Going to the machine, she pressed a few buttons and waited for the music to cue up.  
  
_**I believe the children are our are future  
Teach them well and let them lead the way  
Show them all the beauty they possess inside  
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier  
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be  
Everybody searching for a hero  
People need someone to look up to  
I never found anyone to fulfill my needs  
A lonely place to be  
So I learned to depend on me  
  
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows  
If I fail, if I succeed  
At least I live as I believe  
No matter what they take from me  
They can't take away my dignity  
Because the greatest love of all  
Is happening to me  
I found the greatest love of all  
Inside of me  
The greatest love of all  
Is easy to achieve  
Learning to love yourself  
It is the greatest love of all**_  
  
She ended the song after first chorus and took a bow. Everyone clapped, but it was mostly out of politeness. Cordelia's voice was grating and leapt all over the place. Lorne looked like he was gonna cry with happiness.  
  
"Wonderful rendition, sugar. Whitney would be jealous," he told her. Cordelia smiled and sat back down next to Angel, who suppressed a grin.  
  
"Anyone next?" Willow asked.  
  
"How about you Lorne?" Buffy asked. "I think I heard somewhere that you can carry a tune."  
  
"Ok, I'll give you guys a real treat," Lorne told them, and walked onto his stage.  
  
  
  
"Wow, that was the greatest rendition of "Lady Marmalade" I've ever seen," Willow said to the group as they all walked back toward the Hyperion lobby.  
  
"Yeah, and Angel's little "Mandy" solo was also something I've never seen before," Xander quipped, smirking.  
  
"And one I never wanna see again," Spike added. Angel glared at the two.  
  
"Well I thought it was nice," Cordelia said, patting Angel's shoulder. "Besides, what about you Spike?"  
  
"Hey, there was nothing wrong with mine. Don't even tell me that I was bad. No one can be as bad as Peaches here," Spike shot back.  
  
"I'm standing right here," Angel said but no one paid attention.  
  
"You called that singing? You were practically yelling through most of it," Cordelia pointed out.  
  
"I did not. The Ramones are a great band, so don't even tell me I have bad choice in music." Cordelia rolled her eyes at him.  
  
"Hey, leave Spike alone Cor," Buffy said, clinging on to Spike.  
  
"Still thought it was a lame song," Cordelia mumbled. Spike was now upset.  
  
"Oh, don't even get me started on you Whitney. "The Greatest Love of All"? Don't think so luv, no even close," he threw at her. Cordelia scoffed and stomped away, Angel chasing after her.  
  
"Look what you did Spike. Would it kill you to be a little nicer?" Buffy asked him. Spike nodded.  
  
"Hey, how about everyone just gets some sleep and start another day tomorrow?" Faith suggested.  
  
"Good idea," Wesley agreed. "Night all." He walked over to the stairs but Faith ran up to him.  
  
"Hey Wes, are we still gonna hit the books tonight?" she asked him quietly. Wesley shook his head.  
  
"Not tonight, I'm afraid. A bit tired after all that," he replied. Faith shrugged.  
  
"Yeah, whatever. Guess it can wait until tomorrow," she said, and started to walk toward one of the elevators.  
  
"Fred, why don't you let me walk you to your room?" she heard Wesley ask Fred.  
  
"Sure. That's very nice of you," Fred replied, and walked side by side with Wesley up the stairs. Faith let out the breath she was holding and sighed.  
  


A/N: Ok, how's that? I know, not very long. I wanted to get a little part out at least. I've been focusing on Murderer Too Young lately. But, I needed to get this part out. Next chapter is where things get a little more interesting. Fourth of July party, softball game, and a near death. Until next time... 


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N: First of all, sorry it took so long. I had a slight case of block and I was a little disappointed at the number of reviews that I got for the last chapter of Murderer Too Young. Oh well, that's over and done with. On to the story.**

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

****

****

Wesley was getting tired. He had just spent his second night in the hotel looking up on ghosts from his books. It was now close to 2 in the morning and his eyes were no longer working as well as he would have liked them to. Letting a yawn escape him, he looked over to a half asleep looking Faith. She was sitting at a computer, her eyes closed.

"Faith?" he called to her softly. She opened her eyes and inhaled deeply.

"Sorry, did I drone off on you?" she asked him, rubbing her eyes. Wesley softly smiled.

"No worries. I'm near sleep myself. If you want, you can go up to your room and sleep. I can finish up here," he told her. Faith shook her head.

"Naw, I'm cool. Just need more coffee." Wesley stood up and took her mug.

"Here, I'll go get you some. Black right?" he asked. Faith nodded and stretched. When he left, she glanced back at the screen and scanned through the web page.

"July 10th, 1989. Two teens of Keyton, California were found murdered in their home. Discovered by mother's fiancé, the two victims were Dawn O'Riley, 16 and Connor O'Riley, 16. The case was being followed by Detective Kate Lockley. The case was never solved and no suspects were brought to trial," she read aloud.

"Anything new?" Wesley asked, walking back into the computer room with two cups of coffee, to which he gave her hers. Faith shook her head while she sipped her coffee.

"Zero. Same info I've been getting for the last few hours. Connor and Dawn O'Riley, both 16 years old, and killed in their own beds. The case was never solved," she told him. Wesley sat down and started to think.

"Do you have a name of the mother? Or this fiancé?" he asked her. Faith shook her head.

"Nope. Look, I only know the basic computer skills. I'm no hacker and we're gonna need one to dig up better info. We wanna find out who killed these kids, we definitely need to hack into police files. Find out things the press never found out," she said. Wesley sighed.

"You're right. I'm not handy with computers either. We'll just have to talk to the rest of the gang about it," he said.

"Forget that. As far as I know, everyone else thinks the ghosts are a bunch of crap. And we can't tell them what we saw, they'd think we're mental or something. I know would," Faith told him.

"Then we'll just have to work with what we have," Wesley said, opening another one of his books. Faith cleared her throat, trying to start up conversation.

"Noticed at dinner you've been stealing glances at Fred," she said casually. She heard a choking sound and then a hushed curse. She looked over at him to see his spilled coffee all over his shirt. "You're supposed to swallow the coffee."

"Yes, yes. I know that," Wesley replied, nodding and trying to clean his shirt with some napkins. "Just hot you know."

"So Fred eh?" Faith said after a minute. Wesley tried to hide his smile, despite the burn he would have now from the coffee.

"Yes, well. She's lovely isn't she?" he replied.

"Sure. I mean, if I swung that way, I'd be after her too," Faith said. Wesley smirked.

"Didn't think that anyone noticed," he confessed but then froze. "Wait, do you think she noticed? Oh, what would she think? She must be laughing at the mere thought of me."

"Hey, calm down. Fred probably isn't laughing at you. She might even dig you a little too. You should ask her," Faith said. Wesley shook his head.

"No, she wouldn't care about me. She'd probably be more interested in someone like Gunn. I've seen the way she laughs at his jokes," he told her.

"That's what you do when someone jokes. That doesn't mean she likes him. C'mon Wes. You want her, you gotta make a move. You two have plenty of things in common."

"Like what?"

Faith mentally asked herself why she was doing this. **'I'm helping the guy I like get another girl. What the hell am I doing?' **"You're both smart. That's important."

"Really?" Wesley asked. Faith saw the sparkle in his eyes and immediately threw out all thoughts of trying to get him for herself.

"Yeah. I mean who could resist you? You're smart, ruggedly handsome, funny, and you have an accent. Girls dig guys with accents. It's sexy." Wesley tried to fight back a smile.

"Sexy? Really?" he asked. "Ruggedly handsome?" Faith shrugged.

"Well, you are," she admitted. "Look, I don't normally play matchmaker but I'll make an exception. All you have to do is try to get close to her. Talk, hang out, play chess or whatever. I'll do the rest."

"Really? You'd do this for me?"

"Yeah. You're a cool guy and deserve something. I figure I can help," Faith replied.

"Well, I could tell you that I am really very grateful, but you probably already know that," Wesley said. Faith waved it off and turned back to the computer screen. She suddenly felt a lot better now, even that she just gave up any chance with Wes. But that was strangely okay.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"You think you can outsmart me 'doncha?" Xander said to Willow, who was looking at him with a hint of a smile on her face. "Well not today. You got a 3?"

"Go fish," Willow replied. Xander rolled his eyes and picked up a card. They were all sitting in the game room at this late hour. It had all started with Angel and Spike and a game of pool, which led to more pool, too many poker rounds to count, and some fun and dangerous games of foosball. Now Xander, Willow, Tara, Fred, and Buffy were all participating in a rousing game of Go Fish.

"Why don't we just call Fred the winner. She already has 5 pairs," Buffy said, gesturing to the many cards that belonged to Fred. Xander sighed and threw his cards down.

"When I lost at poker, I didn't feel as bad because it's poker. But I can't even beat a bunch of girls at a hand of Go Fish. My manly and macho ego has now crumbled and is unfixable," he complained. Fred grinned and straightened out the cards.

"Any more challengers?" she asked and then proceeded to take another drink of her coke. "Or should I say victims?" she added quietly. Tara and Willow heard her and giggled.

"It's late. I think I'm going to bed," Cordelia told them. "Wanna walk me to my room Angel?" Angel gestured toward the pool table.

"I was gonna play another game with Gunn," he told her. Cordelia took a huge drink of her beer and shook her head.

"I'm awake now," she said, and moved toward the pool table. "I have $5 on Angel."

"The Fourth is coming in a couple days. I think we should do something fun. Like a barbeque," Willow said.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun," Buffy agreed. "Mmm, now I'm hungry."

"Want me to go get more pizza?" Xander asked her. Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"At 2 in the morning?" she asked. Xander shrugged and nodded. "That's okay Xand."

The room suddenly dropped a good 20 degrees and Tara felt it. She looked around to see if anyone else noticed but everyone was still talking. In the corner of her eye, she saw someone at the doorway but when she turned to see who it was, they were gone. Her mind immediately stumbled to the idea of the ghosts, but she dismissed it. She was just tired and her mind was playing tricks on her.

But there was something telling her she wasn't imagining.

She immediately wondered where Faith and Wesley were. She thought she remembered them saying they would be in the computer room, but she wasn't sure. But she remembered that Faith was asking them the first day if they saw anything strange. And that Wesley didn't believe Mr. Green when he told them there were no ghosts. She concluded that they were researching, but then was snapped out of her thoughts by Willow nudging her.

"You okay? You looked spaced?" she asked. Tara shook her head.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I think I'm gonna turn in though," she replied, and Willow nodded.

"Good plan. I think I'll go with you. I'm just gonna dump my drink." Tara nodded and waited while Willow emptied her drink. Her eyes darted around, looking for something out of the ordinary. She knew she saw something before. It wasn't just the tiredness playing tricks.

Willow came back and the two said goodnight to everyone before heading out of the game room. The hallway was dark, save for the few dimmed lights shining.

"Willow, can I ask you something?" Tara asked once they were out of earshot from the room. Willow nodded, her red hair bouncing slightly. "Do you think the ghosts are real?"

"I dunno. I haven't really thought about it. Why? Do you?" Willow replied.

"I dunno either. I'm only asking because I saw something a few minutes ago," Tara said. Willow was now interested.

"You saw one of the ghosts?" she asked in wonder. Tara shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I saw something shiny out of the corner of my eye. When I turned to look, it was gone. There was also the fact that the temperature dropped."

"It did? I didn't notice."

"See, that's what made me think it was me imagining. No one else looked like they felt it. But I don't think I did imagine it. I got goosebumps when it got colder," Tara said. Willow 'huh-ed".

"That's really weird. You should have said something. Maybe you weren't the only one."

"I'm going to talk to Faith and Wesley tomorrow. They are the only ones who have shown interest in the ghosts. Maybe they know some things. I have a feeling that they are right about this. I think Mr. Green is trying to hide something."

"Why would he hide something? Unless he knows something that none of us do," Willow said. Tara nodded and looked around.

"All I know is that if these ghosts really do exist, they're probably not very happy."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

**Flashback  
Keyton, 1989**

The noise in the bar was at the usual pitch. The sound of bottles clinking, pool balls hitting each other, and the usual noise that came out of the speakers filled Willy's Place. Few people noticed as a new face strode into the bar.

He ordered a beer and then sat down at a booth near the exit. He knew he should be out of town by now, that staying here any longer would surely point fingers at him in a matter of time. But he also knew that police would be watching at the city limits, waiting for someone to be speeding out of Keyton. So he stayed.

The door to the bar opened again and a young man, maybe around 20, walked in, looking around. When he spotted what he was looking for, he walked over.

"Can I help you?" the man asked as the boy walked over.

"I saw you. I saw you walk out of the back of the O'Riley's place tonight. You did it didn't you?" the boy asked in a hushed voice. The man's face darkened and he motioned for the boy to sit.

"What's your name?" the man asked. The boy looked around inconspicuously.

"Riley. Riley Finn," he replied. The man smiled.

"Well Riley," he said, "You know some valuable information. More importantly, its information that only I should know. Do you know what kind of predicament that puts you in?" Riley nodded.

"I want to make a deal," he said. The man laughed.

"A deal now? What makes you think you can make a deal with me? Do you know who I am?"

"Yeah I know who you are. Which is why I know you don't want this to get out. You're a very powerful man in the business world. A crime like this could kill your rep. Which is why I want to make a deal. I keep quiet, in exchange for money. Lots of it," Riley said.

"You want money? Is that it?" the man asked, chuckling. Riley kept a straight face and nodded. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen," Riley replied.

"Well, not much younger than me," the man replied. "Ok then Riley. Name the price and you'll get it. But here's the catch. You name the price, whatever it may be. A million? Fine. But you don't get all of it. We meet every 2 years, my choice of location, and you'll get a piece of the pie. If I give it all to you, you might just scamper off to god knows where. Do we have a deal?" the man asked, extending his hand. Riley took a deep breath but shook the hand nonetheless.

"Very nice doing business with you Mr.--" Riley started to say but the man cut him off.

"Don't say my name in public, _ever_. After you walk out of this filthy bar, you don't know me. You've never seen me in your entire life. The only time you ever talk to me is if I speak first. Do I make myself clear Mr. Finn?"

"Yes Sir. But can I ask? Why'd you do it?" Riley asked, very interested. The man thought for a moment, trying to find a way to explain to the young man.

"To prove a point," he replied. Riley shook his head.

"Point?

"I did it because I can."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

**Keyton, Present Day**

Before he could open his eyes, the distinct smell of books hit his nose and welcomed him back from the dream world. With a quick inhale of oxygen, Wesley lifted his head up and winced as he felt a major cramp in his neck. **'Of course. Which is why I will never sleep like that again,'** he thought. When he opened his eyes finally, his vision was slightly blurred and he finally realized his glasses were not there. When he saw them on the book he slept on, he sighed. They were now all bent from sleeping on them.

"Oh that's just bloody wonderful," he said aloud as he picked them up to examine the damage. A soft groan let him know that Faith was now waking up.

"Good morning Faith. Hope you slept well," Wesley greeted her while trying to fix his glasses.

"Oh yeah. Like a baby. Except that my next hurts like hell," Faith replied while standing up to stretch. "Remind me to never sleep like that again." Wesley sighed when one of the lenses popped right out of the frame.

"Looks like your glasses had a rough night too," Faith observed.

"Yes, well, I'll just have to wear my contacts now."

"You actually wear contacts?" Faith asked. Wes raised an eyebrow.

"You don't think I'm the type to wear contacts?" he asked. Faith shut off her computer screen and gathered her notebook and papers.

"Never said that. In fact, stick to the contacts." Wesley lightened up.

"Really? Well, if you think it'll help me..."

"We're on a mission now Wes. Trust me, after you get her, you'll wonder why you ever doubted anything." Faith and Wesley both stopped when they walked into Tara.

"Tara? What's wrong?" Wesley asked. Tara took a deep breath and looked over at Faith.

"You told me to tell you when something weird happened? Well, here I am," she replied.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

**Ok, that's good for now. I wanted to include the 4th of July party and whatnot, but that would have taken more time. Next chapter will include it. Again, sorry for the long wait but life got in the way.**


	7. Chapter Seven

**

* * *

A/N: Quick note. Last chapter it was said that the 4th was coming in 2 days. Scratch that and make it today. By the way, I had to use the horizontal rule on the QuickEdit thing because no other symbols are showing up as spacers. Anyone know of any that do or why they aren't showing up? **

* * *

****

****

****

****

"I don't understand. Why would the ghosts do that to just Tara? Why didn't the others feel it too?" Faith asked. Tara had just finished telling Wesley and Faith what had happened in the game room last night.

"I haven't a clue," Wesley admitted.

"So this is happening? I mean, there are ghosts here?" Tara asked.

"Yes. We encountered the ghosts as well. I think they are trying to convince each and every one of us to help them find their killer," Wesley replied.

"So how are we supposed to find this baddie? He could be in Albania for all we know," Faith asked.

"He?" Tara wondered.

"Yes, a floating marker wrote 'Find Him' on my wall," Wesley informed.

"Should we tell the others?" Tara asked.

"I highly doubt they'd believe us. I think we should wait until the ghosts contact them and convince them that this is real." Wesley said.

"Well, I told Willow what happened last night and she seemed to believe me," Tara said. Faith thought of something.

"Wait, isn't Willow good with computers?" she asked Tara, who nodded. "'Bout damn time we got luck."

"You think she'd help us," Wesley confirmed.

"Right now, a computer hacker is what we need."

"I'll ask her. We're supposed to head over to the store to get stuff for the party today," Tara explained.

"Party?" Wesley asked.

"And about damn time for some fun," Faith mumbled to herself. Tara nodded.

"Today's the Fourth of July. Last night we all agreed on Barbequing today. Since you two were down here, that's why you didn't know," she told them.

"Well okay then. You and Willow go with the shopping. Wes and I will be keeping an eye out here for more weirdness," Faith said. Tara nodded and left the computer room.

"So what do you propose we do?" Wesley asked, calm and still looking at the door which Tara just exited. Faith shrugged.

"I'm thinking party," she replied. Wesley didn't answer and they both left the computer room together.

* * *

Buffy stepped out of the elevator and into the Hyperion lobby. She still couldn't believe that she was here. Sure, she'd been to many nice hotels in her lifetime but this one still had her breathless. Beautiful to the very core it was. Too bad it was only a week stay, with already two days down.

"G'morning luv." She looked over to the large comfy couch against the wall and spotted Spike sitting there. He was holding a cup of coffee in one hand and had a notebook and pen in his lap.

"Hey Spike. Didn't think anyone was up yet. It's still kinda early," she replied. Spike looked up to the ceiling.

"Passed by Giles in the hallway. Chap was heading down to get something to eat in Caritas. And, I think Tara is her name, came by not too long ago," Spike replied before taking a sip of his coffee. Buffy sat down next to him and peered at the paper.

"Whatcha writing?" she asked. Spike absentmindedly covered the paper with his spare hand but then pulled it away.

"Working on a song. My manager's pissed off as it is that I had to leave the tour but he said that if I write a decent song while I'm here, he won't kick me out of the band." Buffy giggled. "S'not funny luv. That band is my life right now. Wouldn't be too funny to be unemployed."

"But at least you'd walk out an unemployed man with five grand in his pocket," Buffy said. Spike smirked at her comment and set his coffee down on the table in front of them.

"What's the agenda for today then? More boring events?" he asked. Buffy raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're not having fun here?" she asked.

"Truth be told pet, this conversation I'm having right now with you is the most fun I've had these past two days. And that's a good thing."

"And why is that good?" she asked. Spike brushed his hand over hers for a split second, which didn't go unnoticed.

"Because it means that I can have fun around you," he replied softly.

"Well Mr. Crawford, I have to admit you're not as boring or pigheaded as I thought you'd be," Buffy said after a minute. "Plus, I have heard that you are an excellent singer."

"Have you now? You haven't heard one of our songs though?" She shook her head. "Nice to meet a bird who isn't a freakish hardcore fan. Get annoying they do," Spike said. Buffy smiled and realized that he was dipping his head slightly and slowly.

Before they're lips could meet, the elevator door opened and Andrew stepped out. He saw Spike and Buffy and immediately became giddier. Mostly because Spike Crawford was in the same room as him.

"Spike, didn't expect to see you up at this early hour. Working on a song I see?" Andrew said, greeting the rockstar and completely ignoring Buffy in the process.

"Andrew. What's going on with you mate?" Spike replied, trying to be as friendly as he could be. If he had ever met a hardcore Wrong Way fan in his life, Andrew would be it. Spike bet he'd give all the screaming teenage girls a run for their money.

"Well, I have to run some errands for Mr. Green today. You know, important business errands. Some highly classified business indeed," the young man replied. Spike nodded his head and tried to look interested. "So what are you up to today? Any important music stuff?"

"Uh, no. Actually, I was just asking Buffy here what was planned for today," Spike replied, nodding to Buffy. Andrew, looking like he just finally noticed Buffy, smiled.

"Actually, we were all planning on a 4th of July party today. Probably later this afternoon," Buffy said. Spike nodded and noted that that sounded at least potentially exciting. Andrew looked glum for a second but had his cheery face back on in a flash.

"Oh. Well, that's great. Nothing like a party to bring fun to all..." Andrew trailed, letting the gloominess take over.

"Would you like to come Andrew?" Spike asked, fearing that the bloke would start crying soon. Andrew sniffled and looked up. His face showed relief.

"Really? Oh, I'd love to! Wonderful," he replied.

"Great then. It'll be by the pool area. Feel free to bring someone along if you want," Buffy told him. Andrew nodded and tapped his fingers against his thighs. Buffy and Spike noted the silence and shared a smile.

"Well, I better be going then. Have some important errands to run," Andrew said at last.

"Ok then." "Have fun with that." Spike and Buffy replied at the same time. Andrew gave them a thumbs up and headed out the door, a slight spring in his step.

When he was gone, Buffy and Spike let out held in chuckles.

"You know, he really looks up to you," Buffy told him. "It was nice of you to be nice to him."

"Kid's mental. Safe to say I've never met a fan like him," Spike replied, sighing. Buffy laughed at him. "What?"

"Nothing. But I better head on out too. Gotta pick up some party supplies," she told him. Spike almost looked disappointed, which made her giggle some more.

"Being laughed at isn't really good for one's self esteem luv."

"Ok, no more laughing," Buffy promised. "Would you like to go with me?" Spike leaped up immediately and left his notebook and coffee.

"Lemme grab my coat," he said. Buffy snorted.

"Your coat? It's like ninety degrees out there," she informed.

"You don't understand luv. That coat is my treasure, my second skin. I never go anywhere without it," Spike told her.

Before they could get to the elevator, Buffy noticed the girl standing by the front doors. She noted the girl's long brown hair and clear complexion. She didn't look older than 16.

"Hi! Are you looking for someone?" she asked the girl. Spike stopped and gazed over at the teen.

"Yeah, I am actually, but I need your help," the girl replied. Buffy took a couple steps toward her. She got faint chills up her spine but she ignored them.

"Sure, who are you looking for?" Buffy asked. Spike was still staring at her, tilting his head slightly. He had an odd feeling in his stomach.

"Please, I really need your help. You have to help me and my brother," the girl pleaded.

"Are you two lost? Where's your brother?" Buffy asked, inching closer to the girl. "What's your name?"

"Dawn," the girl replied. Buffy stretched her hand out to take the girl's hand.

"Why don't we sit down over there Dawn and I can help you?" she said, almost touching Dawn's hand. The elevator chimed and opened. Both Spike and Buffy looked behind them to see Angel and Cordelia, hand in hand, step out.

But when Buffy turned back to Dawn, the girl was gone.

"Where'd she go?" she wondered aloud. Spike too turned back around and saw that Dawn was gone.

"Did you hear the door open?" he asked Buffy under his breath. Before Buffy could answer, Cordelia and Angel walked over to them.

"Who were you talking to?" Cordelia asked Buffy. Buffy looked back at where Dawn was standing seconds ago and shook her head. It was the only thing she could do.

"Uh, no one. Spike and I were going to make a store run," she replied. Cordelia nodded in response and turned to Angel.

"We were going out too. Angel offered to go out and get the fireworks so that's where we're going. See you two later." And they were out the door. Buffy looked back at Spike and realized she was shaking.

"Spike? What just happened?" she asked in a tiny voice.

* * *

****

"Gosh, what a small town," Fred observed from the back seat of the car. Willow, who was driving, nodded in agreement.

"I know. Hard to believe that it used to be smaller than this, like 10 years ago. But with Palm Springs being so popular, they decided to revamp this place up a bit," she explained to Fred and Tara, who was sitting in the passenger seat beside her.

"Smaller? That is hard to imagine," Tara said, smiling.

"This isn't the way back to the hotel," Fred said after a while. Willow nodded.

"I know, but after all that shopping and carrying, I want to explore Keyton a little before we head back.

The three of them had been assigned grocery shopping duty, which meant leaving the hotel and into the rest of the town. Cordelia had complained that they should just get the chefs in Caritas to make the food, but the rest felt it would be more traditional if they made everything themselves.

"Ooh, can we see if they have a shopping center around here? I wanted to get some things if they had a Wal-Mart here or something," Fred asked. Willow spotted a shopping plaza and pulled into the parking lot. They got out of the car and walked around, looking into shops and just peering around.

Deciding to walk into a flower shop, they split up and looked around, thinking of buying flowers to decorate the pool area with. Willow and Tara went over to look at the daisies so Fred occupied herself by the carnations. She spotted a middle-aged couple standing by the roses next to her so she decided to spark up conversation.

"Sorry to bug y'all, but I was wondering if there was a mall or something nearby?" she asked them. The couple smiled warmly at her and the man nodded.

"Yeah, there's one near the west end of town. It's just off Katella and Habor," he replied.

"Thanks so much," Fred thanked, and outstretched her hand. "Hi, I'm Fred Burkle. Nice to meet you." The man and woman each shook it, smiling. Fred noted that they were married by the rings.

"Lindsey McDonald, and this is my wife Darla," the man introduced. "Are you new in town? I don't think we've ever seen you around."

"Actually, I'm staying at the Hyperion. The owner, Mr. Green, is holding a contest there and I'm one of the contestants. My friends Willow and Tara are over there. They're in the contest too," Fred explained. Lindsey nodded.

"Yeah, I heard about a contest. Well welcome to Keyton. It's not much, but it's home to some of us," he told her.

"Roses for someone?" Fred asked, nodding at the two purchased bouquets in Darla's arms. The couple's mood suddenly changed as they looked solemnly at each other.

"This month is the anniversary of my children's death," Darla replied. Fred gasped.

"Oh, I'm so sorry I asked you. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories," she apologized. Darla shook her head.

"It's alright."

"Mind if I ask what happened?" Fred asked. Lindsey rubbed his wife's shoulders.

"They were murdered 15 years ago in our home," he replied, pain in his voice.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry for your loss," Fred told them.

"Thank you," Darla replied. "We take flowers to them every July."

"Can I ask what their name were?"

"Connor and Dawn. They were fraternal twins, brother and sister," Lindsey told her. Fred blinked several times and was frozen on the spot. Her mind went back to what Riley had told them all on their first day.

"Something wrong dear?" Darla asked. Fred shook off the cold feeling in her bones and forced a soft smile.

"Nothing, I just had a friend in high school named Connor. But again, I'm sorry."

"That's perfectly ok Fred. But we have to be going now. We hope to see more of you and your friends around town," Lindsey said. Fred said goodbye to the couple and retreated to thought. **'Poor folks, loosing their kids.'**

"Fred?" Willow said, waving a hand in front of her face. Fred came out of her thoughts and smiled. "Good thoughts?"

"Uh, yeah. Just thinking about flowers," Fred replied. Tara joined them with the petunias and gardenias purchased.

"Who were those people?" Willow asked, looking out after them as they got into their car.

"Uh, just a nice couple buying roses," Fred replied. **'For their dead children.'**

* * *

****

****

'**I could stay here forever,'** Xander thought to himself as he sat on a bench near the small lake. He was the only one out here right now, and it was nice. He picked up a couple small rocks from the ground and threw them into the water.

"Cool huh?" a voice asked behind him. Xander turned to see a teenage boy standing behind the bench. His heart stopped in his chest as he jumped.

"You're good at that. I didn't even hear you walk over," Xander told the kid, hand over his heart. The kid grinned and put his hands in his jean pockets.

"Out here all alone?" he asked. Xander nodded.

"Speaking of being out here, are you supposed to be here? The hotel isn't even open yet," Xander asked. The kid shrugged.

"My father is here," he replied.

"Who?" Xander asked. The kid ignored the question and nodded toward the ground.

"Came to get my baseball," he told Xander, who looked at his feet. Sitting there on the grass was indeed a baseball. Xander picked it up and twirled it in his hands.

"That's weird, didn't hear it land," he said aloud. Then he turned to the kid. "Here's your-" he started, but stopped. The kid was gone. "-baseball."

Xander turned back toward the lake. What he saw made him almost drop the ball and almost fall off the bench. The kid he just was talking to, not 10 seconds ago, was lying at the edge of the shore with blood everywhere. Spilling out of his mouth, his chest, and his neck. There was a knife sticking out of his back and a deep slash across his throat.

Xander got up and ran back toward the hotel, baseball still in hand. The dead body was now gone.

****

At around 5 o'clock, everyone was back from their shopping. The employed cooks of Caritas had left for the day and so the whole kitchen was free for them to start cooking.

While Willow and Tara were making a salad over on the counter, Buffy was cooking the corn on the cob on the stove. Cordelia was currently outside helping Angel and Gunn barbeque, so that left Tara and Faith with the fruit salad and the baked potatoes.

The silence was unnerving, so Willow spoke up.

"Should be fun today," she said to everyone, hoping someone would speak. But everyone just nodded in response. "What is wrong with you people? You all look like you saw a ghost."

Buffy, Tara, Fred, and Faith all looked up when she said that but still stayed quiet.

"Tara, is this about what happened last night in the game room?" Willow asked. Tara shook her head and continued to chop up the watermelon.

"What happened last night?" Buffy asked, nervously. Tara continued on with her chopping, trying to drop the topic.

Luckily for her, Xander came into the kitchen. Willow saw him earlier this morning when she got back from town coming back from the direction of the lake. He was chock white and had a baseball in his hand. Without saying anything, he rushed inside. Something had scared him good but what did that exactly was unknown to her.

"Hey Xander," she greeted him. Xander gave a small wave.

"Hey. Angel sent me in here to tell you gals that the meat is done cooking," he said. Willow nodded and lifted the salad bowl and gave it to him.

"Take this will ya? I need to get the potato salad."

The two took the containers and exited the kitchen. The others looked at one another and each sighed. Their earlier experienced still loomed in their heads, not letting them forget anything.

* * *

****

Once all the food was set up and everyone had changed into their swim wear, things lightened up considerably. Andrew showed Gunn how to work the music and speaker controls, so soon the whole pool area was rockin' with music.

Angel and Spike took turns cooking up hamburgers, hotdogs, and ribs on the barbeque. Xander had Anya take time off of work and come down and eat. Anya informed them it was her birthday today so Willow and Fred ran out to go get a cake. Riley and Samantha Finn arrived as well. So did Andrew, after he assured Spike and Buffy that he had finished all his official hotel errands.

Once everyone had their own fill of food, it was time for another activity. They still had a good three hours until it got dark for fireworks.

"There's a park on the next block. We could go do something over there," Sam suggested to the group.

"That sounds fun. We could play a game or something. You know, girls against guys," Willow said.

"Basketball?" Gunn offered. Several girls shook their heads. Spike and Buffy had a thought and smiled.

"Softball. A good old fashioned game of softball. Girls vs. boys, winners get bought dinner by the losers," Buffy said. Everyone smiled and nodded.

"We have gloves and bats in the activity closet. Sam and I will go get it and meet you all there," Riley said and he and Sam got up and left.

"You really want to take on us macho guys here?" Gunn asked the girls, who raised their eyebrows.

"Macho guys? We'll see how macho you all are once we cream you all," Faith told them. Wesley and Gunn looked at each other at Faith's comment.

"Yeah, whatever girlie. I just don't want to hear any whining once we all go for dinner at Red Lobster," Gunn said back. Faith smirked at him and shook her head. Everyone got up and started to walk toward the hotel. Wesley walked over and patted Gunn's shoulder.

"You do realize she's going to kick your ass now right?" he asked humorously. Gunn nodded and sighed.

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

****

The group arrived at the park and walked over to an unoccupied baseball diamond. With Buffy, Faith, Cordelia, Willow, Tara, Fred, Sam, and Anya on one team, the guys were Angel, Spike, Xander, Gunn, Wesley, Giles, Andrew, and Riley. Giles didn't want to play since he wasn't as young as he used to be, so he was scorekeeper. The guys really didn't mind that they had one less player. They knew they'd win anyways.

The girls were batting first so that meant Willow was up first. Angel was pitching for the guys.

The first pitch Willow hit with remarkable speed. The ball sailed over Gunn's head and landed in left field. The girls were cheering wildly as Willow made it to first base before Wesley was able to throw it to Riley, who was first base. Cordelia was up next and she knew she was going to get out no matter what. The last time she played baseball was in junior high for PE. But the fact that her new beau was the pitcher, she wasn't all too sure.

She swung and missed the first pitch. Angel tried to look sorry for the pitch and threw the ball a little softer this time. Cordelia hit the ball, which landed... against Angel's skull. Because of the rules, Cordelia was automatically out since she hit the pitcher, Willow was now at second base, and Angel was repositioned to right field, and Spike now took over.

Up next to bat was Buffy, who walked up to home plate slowly and carelessly. The first pitch that was thrown was hit way past Xander in center field and therefore Buffy was able to score a triple. Willow scored so the girls were leading 1-0. The next two outs were by Anya and Fred. Now the guys came up to bat.

Faith was designated pitcher and her first batter was Xander.

"Ready for this one Harris?" she asked. Xander tapped the base plate with the tip of the bat in response. Faith threw the ball. Xander swung and popped the ball to right field, but it was caught by Sam. After Xander, Riley got to second base, Andrew struck out, and Gunn caused the ball to hit Faith in the knee.

An hour later, the girls walked away with a 5-2 win.

* * *

****

When the group got back to the Hyperion, it was time to hit the pool. Everyone jumped into the cool water, even Giles, who just leaned against the edge.

A few games of Marco Polo were played, followed by some water volleyball. Then it was time for the fireworks. All types were lit; sparklers, Girandoles, Roman Candles, Bottle Rockets, and spinners. The Keyton High School stadium was the place where the actual sky fireworks were being launched, so the gang kicked back and watched them from afar.

After the grand finale, the group lit more of their own fireworks, enjoying the night. Fred got kinda bored of that and went back to the pool. Although she wasn't going to get back it, she put her feet in the water and sat along the edge. She could hear the group on the other side of the fence.

All the feelings she had earlier had disappeared throughout the day. But now they were back. Her thoughts on the poor couple and what had been done to them. Their own children killed. How could someone do that?

She looked into the water, the light of the fireworks reflecting on the still surface. But there was something else there. A face. She looked behind her but no one was there. Turning back to the water, her eyes suddenly locked onto the image. She swayed a little forward but she didn't notice. Then she fell forward.

* * *

****

**A/N: Well, how was that? Please, please review. I would like to know how I'm doing with this. And it saddens me to say that I start school again next Thursday, so updates will be less frequent. But I will make time. Anyways, I'll have chapter 8 out before next week for sure. As for who the killer is, if you have an idea, try to keep quiet about it for a while please. I'm not going to answer questions or give clues so don't ask for them. Also, I will have more Darla, Lindsey, and Kate later. We have 4 days left of the contest so you won't have to wait too much longer for the end. Ok, that's all I have to say. Oh, and please review. **


	8. Chapter Eight

**A/N: Ok, here's chapter 8! Sorry it took so long. School and life got in the way again. Thanks go to Imzadi and Distastered for reviewing last chapter. Thanks! So yeah, school has started and so chapters will be coming just a tad slower. Good news is that I have a free period so I can write during that time.**

* * *

The first thing that came to Fred's mind when she fell into the cold water was that she was going to die. She knew it. First of all, she secretly didn't know how to swim. She'd get in the water and all, but as for being deep under water, that was a different story. She rapidly tried to paddle with her arms and legs but it was no use. She was running out of air, her tiny cheeks not holding enough oxygen in and her eyes were burning from the chorine.

Suddenly, after what felt like forever, she felt two other splashes and two sets of arms grabbing a hold of hers. She couldn't see, but she knew it had to be help. Then without warning, she lost consciousness.

* * *

****

"Fred? Fred, wake up."

"Maybe she hit her head Wesley."

"No, I see her eyes moving."

"Be quiet! All the noise is too loud for her."

"Should we call 911?"

"No, I think she'll be alright."

Fred listened to all these voices, trying to distinguish the owners of the voices. On top of that, her head was pounding and she felt queasy.

"Fred?" someone called to her again. Wesley. Her eyes slowly opened but closed at the bright light in her face.

"Oops, sorry," Cordelia said, who was holding the flashlight and turned it off.

"Hey, Fred. You're ok now," Gunn told her, and she opened her eyes again. The whole entire group was standing around her now, except Wesley, Gunn, and Willow who were all kneeling next to her.

"What happened?" she croaked, coughing up water.

"We were hoping you could tell us," Angel replied.

"Here, lets get her sitting at least," Spike said, bring a chair from the patio tables. Wesley and Gunn helped her up into the chair. Tara handed Wesley a towel and he wrapped it around Fred. She clutched it tightly and shivered.

"How did you find me?" she asked, possibly knowing the answer but needing to hear it for herself.

"We all heard the splash and then Wesley and Angel jumped in the pool to save you," Cordelia told her. Fred looked at Wesley, then at Angel.

"Handsome men saved me," she said to them.

"Fred, what happened? Did you trip over something?" Wesley asked. Fred shook her head.

"No, I – I don't...there was a face. I remember a face in the water," she told them.

"A face? Whose face?" Buffy asked. Fred shook her head.

"I don't know. I've never see it before. It – it was a boy-"

"A boy? No boys here," Gunn said. Xander visibly paled and both Anya and Cordelia noticed.

"Xander, what's wrong?" Anya asked. Everyone now looked at Xander, who rubbed his eyes, trying to get that horrible image out of his head.

"If you're talking about who I think you are, then this isn't good," he told them.

"What are you talking about?" Cordelia asked.

"Earlier this morning, I was out by the lake. This kid comes over, didn't even hear him. We started talking and he said he was coming for his baseball. I picked it up and he was gone. Then he was at the shore..." Xander explained, stopping and looking sick.

"Xander, what?" Willow asked.

"He was dead. Blood everywhere. There – there was a knife in his back and a slash on his throat," Xander finished. There was silence while everyone took that in.

"Is this another one of your stupid jokes?" Angel asked him. Xander didn't say anything back, just glared at the Wolfram & Hart CEO.

"He's not joking," Willow said. "I saw him this morning coming from the lake and he was as pale as a-"

"Ghost?" Buffy asked. "I'm gonna have to believe you on that."

"You saw this boy too?" Wesley asked. Buffy shook her head and looked over at Spike, who sighed.

"No, not a boy. A girl," she replied. Spike put a hand on her shoulder.

"This morning me and Buffy were about to leave for some shopping and there was this girl standing by the doors," he began. "She said she needed help, kept going on about needing help. When Angel and Cordelia came out of the elevator, we got distracted and turned away. When we turned back, this girl was gone. Didn't even hear a door open."

"How old were these kids?" Faith asked. Wesley looked over at her and Faith answered his silent question with a nod.

"Uh, she was about 15 or 16. She said her name was Dawn," Buffy replied. Xander nodded.

"Yeah, the boy was around the same age," he told Faith. Wesley sighed and looked over at Faith.

"Looks as though the signals were sent. It's best we tell them," he said to her. Faith nodded and so did Tara. "The children you saw were the ghosts of the O'Riley twins."

"Are you sure?" Cordelia asked. "This just isn't some dumb snit played by some kids?"

"No. As Buffy mentioned, the girl said her name was Dawn. That was the name of the girl. Her brother was Connor. Xander, did you get the boy's name?"

"No. I asked, but he didn't answer. Said he was here to see his dad. It didn't really make any sense to me but he said he was visiting."

"His dad?" Fred asked. "His dad is here in town."

"Huh?" Angel and Faith asked at the same time.

"Earlier today, we went to a flower shop and I met the kid's parents. Uh, Darla and Lindsey were their names," Fred told them.

"No, Lindsey McDonald isn't their real dad. That was just the guy dating Darla when the kids were killed," Faith told her.

"Is that who you were talking to today? Why didn't you say anything?" Willow asked Fred.

"I didn't think it was anything worth mentioning. I just felt bad for the couple," Fred replied.

"How do you and Wes know about this?" Xander asked Faith.

"The first day we got here, we had a floating marker write 'Find Him' on Wes's wall. It's still up there if you want proof," Faith said.

"What do you want us to do?" Everyone looked over at Giles, who hadn't spoken the whole time. Wesley nodded at his joining in and sighed.

"I need you all in this. I believe that if we bring their killer to justice, the ghosts will finally be able to rest." Everyone nodded, some still a little reluctant.

"Willow, Tara tells me you are good with computers. Can you help us out and locate information that the police might have on the case? We need as much information as we can get," Wesley asked.

"You mean hack into police files? Sure, sounds fun," Willow replied, smiling.

"What do we do if we find this guy?" Angel asked.

"Yeah, if this guy's a killer, we can't count that he'll go quietly," Cordelia added.

"Do not mistake the danger in doing this. This man has been probably hiding for years now. He's probably done something like this before or he'd have been caught already. The only thing we can rely on is that there are more of us than him," Wesley said.

"Ok then. Lets catch us a bad guy," Buffy said.

* * *

****

With most of the group on board, they all started to get to work. Sam decided this was nonsense and decided to go to bed. Riley just went after her. Andrew was unsure of what to do. He had reason to believe this, but he remembered that Mr. Green had said there were no ghosts. Anya decided to stand by Xander and help him with his job, which was keeping an eye out for the two teens if they happened to show up again.

Willow, Tara, and Cordelia were on computer search duty. They were to find anything and everything on the teens, their family, and the case. Spike and Buffy had the job of going to talk to Detective Lockley, the detective who was on the case. Giles was put on book duty, looking through Wesley's books and trying to find something on ghosts. Angel and Gunn were the skeptics, but helped out as well, going around town and trying to gather information from Keyton's citizens. That left Faith, Fred, and Wesley to talk to the McDonalds.

* * *

****

Buffy watched the young guitarist/singer as he drove them toward the Keyton Police Department. He casually tapped his thumb to the beat of the loud rock music coming from the speakers of his car. She didn't know why or how he was being so calm about this. Someone almost died last night and they both had a creepy encounter with a ghost. This was all getting too X-Files for her, but if things were really happening, she knew that next time someone would die. Maybe her. Maybe even the hot rock star sitting next to her.

"Feelin' ok pet?" Spike asked her, forcing her back into reality.

She nodded quickly. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Spike looked a little unsure. "I'm sure you think this is all bollocks."

"No, I'm ok Spike. Sure, a little freaked. These things did try to kill Fred last night."

"Those 'things' are two kids luv. I can see where they're coming from alright. And I don't think they tried to kill Fred. The bird fell in is all. It was just her bad luck that she couldn't swim," Spike told her. Buffy nodded.

They arrived at the Keyton Police Department and got out of Spike's black DeSoto. They wondered into the building, looking for a Detective Kate Lockley. They came across a very rude officer, who after minutes of making sure they really did need the detective's help, pointed them toward another part of the building. They eyed the name plates of all the desks until they came to the one they were looking for.

Kate Lockley sat at her desk, scanning through a couple of files. She looked up to see the blonde couple standing in front of her desk.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

Spike looked around and sighed. "We need to talk to you in private."

"I'm not going anywhere with you until I at least know why you want to talk to me," Kate replied.

"It's about one of your cases," Buffy spoke up. Kate looked at her.

"And which case would that be?" she asked.

"The one that involves two teens and a bloody mess," Spike said. Kate narrowed her eyes at him.

"That case is inactive. Not dealing with that one anymore. Been fifteen years. Hasn't been solved since so I don't think there would be something now that would change that," she told him.

"Actually, there is something. Big piece of evidence and about ten witnesses. That good enough?"

"There are no witnesses to the crime. Believe me, we talked to everyone we could. No one saw a thing," Kate replied.

"We have two ghosts who beg to differ," Spike told her. Kate looked at him disbelievingly.

* * *

****

**A/N: Ok, that's all for now. I would write more, but I figured you all (or few) had to wait long enough. Sorry again for the wait. Hopefully chapter 9 will be up sooner. **

**Next chapter... Willow/Tara-ness, Fred, Wesley, and Faith talk to Lindsey and Darla, and Spike and Buffy fill Kate in on their haunted hotel.**


End file.
